No Heart Deserves to be Broken
by TaggertShare
Summary: Can a man who is said to have no heart ever be heart broken? Most people desire a long life. Outliving friends and Relatives does have some downsides. No Heart reached his goal of becoming a great Wizard. One of his few remaining relatives tells Beastly a tale of woe. A picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes a painting is worth a thousand tears. Baby boy depicted correct.


Beastly and Shreeky looked with interest at the old trunk. No Heart had dragged it out of the attic late that afternoon. He was looking for an ancient scrapbook which he believed may hold pictures of what the Castle looked like in past years. He was planning on doing a little upkeep to the now crumbling north battlement. He decided he wanted to return that part of the castle to it's past glory. He wanted his castle to look strong and fearsome, not weak and crumbling. He wanted some pictures as a guide to his project.

No Heart held a rusty skeleton key in his bony fingers. The dust covered trunk looked as if it hadn't been opened in over a decade. Surprisingly the key turned in the lock with little difficulty. Dust flew and there was a creaking sound as No Heart lifted the lid. Inside were a few old books and faded child's clothing. In one corner there was a framed picture.

Beastly spotted the old faded picture. It looked ancient. Indeed it was, for it was an old oil painted portrait. Beastly picked it up in fascination. In it was a young dark handsome man, the type many a young woman dreams about meeting. Beside him stood a young woman with red hair. If not for the color of her hair she would have looked like Shreeky. In fact she looked like an older version of Shreeky with red flowing locks of hair.

"Whose picture is this?" Beastly asked. "Put it back!" Shreeky said in a terrified tone. It had evoked a vivid childhood memory. She was afraid of how her Uncle would react to seeing the picture. Beastly quickly buried the picture under some junk, but it was too late, No Heart had seen it.

Beastly braced for a tirade. He was not sure what he had done wrong. He could see from the look on No Heart's face something was terribly wrong. No Heart's eyes lost their fearsome red glow, as if they were dying embers. His voice seemed to tremble a bit. He spoke in an uncharacteristic tone. Even for a melancholy Wizard his voice sounded strangely sad.

"Stop quivering Beastly, I am not in the mood to zap you! However there are some things a man wants to keep to himself." He slammed the trunk closed with a resounding "Thud!" He scowled and locked the latch. "Enough of this work today. I think I will go out to 'The Wizard's Brew' for a drink with the guys. I need some time away from here. You two be careful while I am gone. Lock the gates if I am not home by Midnight." Beastly sighed with relief after the front door slammed shut behind the exiting No Heart.

Shreeky also looked relieved. Beastly looked at her as he tried to stop trembling. "So what did I do wrong now?" Shreeky sighed. "You must swear to never tell anyone about what I have to say." " I swear" said Beastly. Shreeky sat down beside him on a dilapidated couch. Her voice suddenly sounded so much more mature.

"Some say my Uncle has no heart. But can a man with no heart ever be heart broken?" As she spun her story Beastly listened to her with looks alternating between fascination and sadness. It had a begun with her arrival at the castle as an orphaned child. Many people seemed to fear her uncle. The toddler who would come to be called Shreeky did not. After the horror of losing her Parents living life on the dark side seemed relevant. It seemed as if she had been destined to become a young Witch. She would embrace the beliefs of Wicca too.

She was still called Sharika when, as a child, she had first seen the portrait. She had peeked into a closet and saw a painting sitting upright in a corner. She had lifted it up and found herself drawn to the image. She felt both curious and a little frightened by it. She could not understand why she felt frightened. It was as if she could sense an unknown power emanating from it.

When asked about it her Uncle reacted in a very strange way. She thought he was mad at her. He looked as if he wanted to slug someone. She thought at first he would spank her, although he seldom punished her. No spanking was given. Instead she was sent to her room while her uncle carried the painting off to be locked away. The look of pain that had crossed her Uncle's face hurt her as much as a physical beating would have. She realized there was something very important about the painting.

On her thirteenth Birthday No Heart asked if she had a special want. She said she wanted to know about the painting she had seen years before. She thought her curiosity may get her punished, but she was dying to know more about it. Her uncle had sighed and said "maybe it is best that you know the truth. Sometimes it helps to get secrets into the open." The look on her Uncle's face reminded her of what had happened a few months before.

Shreeky's entrance into puberty had been a subject No Heart had dreaded. He seemed much more embarrassed than Shreeky when he had explained 'the facts of life'. Shreeky lead a sheltered life. Even so Shreeky had already seen one of her few friends' baby brother as he had been bathed and diapered. She was fascinated as to how different a boy was from her. The sight of his little penis and scrotum was one she would long remember. Her query as why a boy had a penis was explained to her in simple terms. Not long after that she saw a little boy take a pee.

Explaining how boys and girls look different is one thing. Explaining how babies get made is another. No Heart dutifully did his best. Later Shreeky asked her girl friends when and how they had learned. She was thankful toward her uncle. He did a better job than most parents did. Some of her friends had been left woefully ignorant by their parents.

Now as No Heart prepared to tell his tale of woe his face had a similar look. As her Uncle began his tale Shreeky felt as if she were about to learn a great secret. By the time he would finish she felt as if she had just been read a great dramatic romance novel. One with a sad ending that would forever change her perception of her uncle as the man many said had no heart.

No Heart had dreams of becoming a great magician as a young man. His desire to learn more lead to ventures in several lands. Eventually his adventures to learn more lead to a trip in Ireland. The Land of Leprechauns and Lois Stone Circles seemed a logical place to learn more about mystical things. In a pub he saw a red haired lass who quickly caught his eye. There was something about her looks and demeanor that fascinated him. He just had to talk to her.

She said "my name is Sheila." As they talked she revealed that she also delved into magic. From that humble beginning a romance blossomed. Together they explored the castles of Ireland. They hunted for four leaf shamrocks among green meadows. It was while the young man handed her a shamrock that he got his first real kiss. For the first time in his life the man yet to be known as No Heart was in love.

In a bustling village that would someday be the city of Dublin they met an artist. It was in his little shop that they sat for him as he painted the portrait. There was magic in the air the first time they held the finished picture together. It was a magical time in in so many ways.

When he was not with her he would daydream of a possible future. He thought of what a beautiful bride she would be for whom ever she married. He wanted a family eventually. Oh how he wanted a little girl to spoil someday. He could picture in his mind what a daughter of his and Sheila's might look like. He seriously thought of proposing to her when the time was right. Alas the time would never be right.

As the days passed the young man began to notice some things about the love of his life. While visiting The Grange Circle Stones she had knelt in front of one of the great stones. She chanted what sounded like a motet in Gaelic. Surely she could not be praising The Lord of The Christians. Indeed she admitted to being a Pagan. Soon she had converted the young man. Thus the man began his descent into the darker side of life.

It was while reading an ancient tome of magic Sheila had lent him that the young man furthered his dreams. Yes, someday he would be a great magician. Perhaps he could even be a Wizard. He now believed in the powers of magic. Magic was often just an illusion used by those who could not master it's true power. But the few who could master it had the potential to become true Mages and Wizards. The young man wanted that power.

It was not long after that the ravishing redhead's true self would be revealed. It was now October and Samhain was fast approaching. This Pagan Festival which gave rise to the modern Halloween Eve would be a night which would forever change the young man's persona.

Sheila had invited him to witness a Wicca Mass so he could better understand her way of life. Afterward they stood before a blazing fire under the Full Moon. Suddenly she sighed loudly and turned to face him. She suddenly seemed to change before his eyes. Was it the smoke and the flickering flames? The man stared in awe. What he was seeing would have terrified most men. For she had lit a torch and held it so he could clearly see her face.

The man stood unflinching. A man will do many things to get the woman of his dreams. Sometimes she turns out to be a nightmare. Sheila's hair now was a shade of purple with streaks of teal. Her face began to age until she looked like an elderly woman of sixty. The elderly woman with purple and teal colored hair now spoke in a sad tone of voice.

"I have to reveal the truth. I wanted to relive what it is like to be young and ravishing again. Look closely into the flames of my torch and you will see all as I speak." As she began her story the man could see it pictured in the flames.

"This is me as a mortal child centuries ago". In the flames the man saw the image of a baby girl with red colored hair. "I was born under the name of Ruari. My parents were Pagans who dreamed of having a child who would one day be powerful. In fact my name meant little red haired queen." She laughed ruefully. "This is how I looked a few years later after my Mother became a Mage and my Father a Wizard." In the flames the man saw the image of a young girl with purple and teal colored hair. The images he had seen were forever burned into his memory.

"As you can see the powers of Magic come with a price. One's body changes as they become a Mage or a Wizard. Yes, we live for centuries. Even though we can manipulate our outward appearance we still slowly age inside. I am now too old to ever be a Mother. Nor are we immortal, only those who reach the World of Spirits are immortal."

"I have lived through the past centuries knowing that someday I must leave this world and cross over to the Spiritual Realm. My time nears. You however have the chance to live many centuries. Just follow the road you have taken to become a great Wizard. I wish I could take that journey with you. I didn't plan on falling in love with you. It was the best mistake I ever made."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "May you be fated to raise a child like I once was." She turned and slowly walked toward the fire. Her voice seemed to echo back to him as she said "I really do love you. We met centuries too late." She suddenly faded from sight. The young man stared at the now dying fire. It seemed as if a part of him was dying too. The ache in his heart would never totally fade away. The next day he left Ireland never to return.

Later he achieved his goal of becoming a Wizard. He sought refuge in lands and dimensions most mortals never see. He found his refuge away from Humanity in the Fifth Dimension, in the forsaken lands just outside of Carealot. If only those pesky Care Bears and Care Cousins would just let him be! Why couldn't they understand why a man would want to show no feelings! Love had hurt him, and the wounds would never heal. He did visit the Fourth Dimension from time to time to keep in touch with relatives.

One problem with living many years is Family members die off. Soon he had very few known living relatives. His only brother had several children. They seldom got to see their Uncle. His little sister had been born when he was eighteen. Unlike her brother the magician she would not live to see old age. She had married in her late fourties. Her only child was born at an age when most women can no longer give birth. That child idolized her Uncle who could do magic tricks for her.

She in turn had one girl. That girl also loved the magic tricks her Great Uncle performed. That little girl was a young child when her Mother and Father had died in a tragic accident. According to their Will all they had went to the Mother's Uncle, and that included custody of their little girl. Many people distrusted the magician her Uncle had become, but she had learned to accept him as he was. She was even aware of his ventures into other realities. Surely a man that powerful would protect his own Grand Niece. Thus the man who never thought he would have his own family ended up with a little girl to raise.

She was a wild child with red hair. Looking at her jogged No Heart's memory of the visions Sheila had induced of herself as a little lass. His grand niece's loud piercing cries had resulted in the nickname "Shreeky". Soon most had forgotten her real name was Sharika. As time passed the influence of being near her mystical Great Uncle lead to her developing the features of a young witch. Her once red hair turned purplish with streaks of a bluish green. She was as mischievous as a leprechaun.

Saying "Great Uncle No Heart" was a bit tedious for a young child. She called her Great Uncle "Uncle No Heart". The first time she had uttered that name No Heart had remembered Sheila's parting words. "May you be fated to raise a child like I once was".

Shreeky was almost breathless as she concluded her narrative. She sighed and looked at Beastly. "So you see Beastly, neither you nor I did anything wrong when we first asked about the painting. The wrong was committed many years earlier. It is also wrong that so many are quick to conclude that Uncle No Heart is an evil being with no heart. He has a heart, one that is broken and will never fully mend." Beastly didn't speak, he looked as if he wanted to cry.

After a few minutes Beastly finally spoke in a near whisper. "So No Heart is really your Great Uncle?" Shreeky had a fond look on her face. "Yeah, in reality he is so old he may even be my Great Great Uncle. It doesn't matter to me. I call him Uncle. Without him there is no telling what would have become of me when I was orphaned. No matter what others think of him he is special to me. I could have grown up in an orphanage. Instead I get to grow up in a castle. I may live for centuries. I get most everything I want. I guess some might call me spoiled."

Beastly grinned. "You are darned right about that!" A familiar shriek rang through the castle's halls. "Beastly!"

Later that evening as Shreeky and Beastly got ready for bed they heard No Heart arrive downstairs. He soon climbed the winding staircase to check on them. After No Heart left Shreeky's room Beastly ran up to him. "I am sorry that I am a big pain in the butt sometimes!" No Heart's eyes glowed a softer shade of red than was usual. He reached out and put his bony right hand on Beastly's shoulder. "Oh Beastly, life is full of pains. Having you and Shreeky around makes life's pains a little more bearable."

No Heart turned away as Beastly stood transfixed. He saw his boss in a whole new light. Many may despise Shreeky and No Heart. If only they knew what Beastly knew. As No Heart turned away Beastly gave an Impish grin. As No Heart headed downstairs Beastly softly muttered "good night, Uncle No Heart". His words were heard. For a brief moment a rare smile played upon the lips of the Wizard known as No Heart.


End file.
